Kit and Magnus
by Kage kioku aji tenshi
Summary: Summary: Sometimes all one needs is a small push in order to change the future for the better. Sometimes that puch comes from an event, other times it comes from a person. Slash Erik/Charles -I will admit that this is the result of too much time, boredom, and little sleep. plus a computer with typing capabilities.


Summary: Sometimes all one needs is a small push in order to change the future for the better. Sometimes that puch comes from an event, other times it comes from a person. Slash Erik/Charles

Warnings: Some graphic imagery, allusions to past abuse, death, and violence, also underage drinking.

Harry just wanted to disappear after the war, but for a while the wizards wouldn't let him, and yet, after they had no more need of him, they sent him back to the Dursley's who decided that they needed to move and they decided to go from England to New York, the city that never sleeps. For once Harry was glad of their need for normalcy, after all it was easy to get lost in a city of millions.

The first day Harry saw the strange man in the park he knew he was different, not normal, but not like him. He just sat there, in front of a chessboard, gold and silver chess-pieces set up waiting for a fellow to come play. Some days he would just wait, leaving just before mid-day, others he would move the kings across the board, leading the two pieces in a dance, they never neared each other more than two spaces and yet the man never once touched either piece.

After a few weeks of watching Harry sat across from the man.

"Can I play?" He asked.

The other man made a motion with his hand, as if to say your move.

Harry smiled and instead of reaching out to move his piece he spoke the piece, letter, and number, like Wizard's Chess. The man raised an eyebrow but obligingly moved Harry's piece before making his own move, and that was how they played, neither one touching the pristine and lovely silver and gold chess set.

"So, who is he?" Harry asked three weeks after they started their now daily games.

"Who, Kit?" The man hadn't bothered to ask Harry's name, just as Harry hadn't asked his name, they had merely given each other nicknames and used those. Though when Magnus had asked what Harry's mutation was he was angry to find that the boy he played chess with every day didn't have one, Harry hadn't told him that while he wasn't a mutant he wasn't a human either, though. There had been a three day break in their games, where the older man hadn't shown, while the elder had come to terms with having a non-mutant friend.

"The Golden King, Magnus." Harry explained before telling the other his move.

Magnus moved Harry's piece before he began considering his next move and answered the inquiry, "He was my partner, my friend... I betrayed him because we disagreed on how to integrate mutants into society."

"It's not too late, you know." Harry murmured quietly as Magnus moved his piece.

"What do you mean, Kit? It's way too late to salvage what we had." Magnus sighed.

"Do you really believe that?" Harry asked as he gave Magnus his final move. "Check-mate, Magnus," Harry smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow, Yeah?" Harry asked as he stood and left the older man to think on what he had said.

Magnus was waiting for Harry quite impatiently the next day, his piece already in place as it was his turn to go first. Harry slid into his seat, telling the metal bender his move as he did so.

"I talked to the Golden King last night." Magnus began.

"Did you? Did his little protectors hurt you?" They had spoken a lot of the Golden King and that had become his title, Harry knew more about the Golden King than he knew of the man he was, and the way Magnus talked about the man told Harry that he still loved the other man, and Harry knew, though Magnus had never said so, that Magnus was the Silver King. The Sun and the Moon, without the Sun's light the Moon would not light the night sky, they glanced longingly at each other, the distance between them so great that they could never truly touch and yet they reached out for each other, forever.

Magnus laughed, "No, I left off my helmet. The Golden King is a Telepath to my Metal Bending."

"So..." Harry paused, "he was reading your mind?" Harry asked, cringing remembering Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Snape, all in his mind, rifling around in there without his permission.

"No, I invited him for a long distance chat, it merely happened to take place in my mind. The Golden King has rules about how he uses his powers, he always asks permission." Magnus explained.

"Forgive me for not trusting him; too many people have forced their way into my mind, for a few years I couldn't keep anyone from accessing my mind." Harry explained, letting Magnus think he had encountered Telepaths before, which in a way he had. "I don't have that problem now."

"He's not like that, Kit." Magnus murmured placing one of his work roughened hands over Harry's scarred one.

"I do believe you, but it is YOU I trust, NOT the Golden King, that is how it will be, Magnus." Harry smiled though it was a little weak.

Magnus smiled back, "Well, at least I don't have to worry about being completely out numbered, then."

Harry laughed, "Count on it, Magnus, I still have my own views, and yours are on the opposite side. Making Humans fear Mutants was the wrong way to go, at least with this. You have to understand Humans fear what they don't understand, and try to destroy what they fear, in this Mutants and Humans are the same," Harry held up a hand to stop Magnus' protest, "In fear of what the Humans MIGHT do to Mutants when they found out about them you tried to destroy them. If your Mother were alive would she be proud of your actions to protect the children of your kind?" Harry asked as he stood, "Think about it, Magnus, I for one think she would have liked you to stand by the Golden King, I know you were trying to protect him, but perhaps he needs a friend rather than a protector, it gets lonely at the top of the pyramid, and that is where you and he are, only you stand on different pyramids." Harry smiled and left the man and their unfinished game.

Harry hummed lightly as he waited for Magnus to show, he doubted that the other would come though as he was nearly two hours late. Soon he would have to leave himself and crazy as it seemed Harry enjoyed their games and was always sad when they couldn't play, he didn't think about what might happen during winter, when surely Magnus' old wounds would make themselves heard, though Harry knew that he would be sitting here same as usual, he would rather freeze than face the alternative.

"Sorry, I'm late, it took forever to convince the Golden King that I wasn't going to cause havoc." Magnus said, sliding into the seat across from Harry, the gold and silver pieces flying and dancing to their place.

"He has reason to doubt, yes?" Harry asked as he told the elder his move.

Magnus' eyes dimmed a bit, "Yes, he does." He said sadly.

"Are you angry with me, Magnus?" Harry rested his elbows on the table, folding his fingers together resting his chin on them.

Magnus smiled as he made his move, "No, I'm not mad, just sad that it took so long to get some sense talked into me."

"Okay." Harry smiled in return his hands slipping to his lap.

"Kit, why did you come to play chess with me that first day?" Magnus asked curiously.

Harry shrugged, "I know how it feels to be alone, and I know what it looks like, you were alone, I was alone, and I thought we could be alone together." Harry's grin grew a little crooked.

"Well, thank you, I didn't think being alone could feel so un-lonely."

Harry giggled, "I don't think un-lonely is a word."

"It is now." Magnus paused and pointed a finger at the younger boy, "You, child, are a bad influence."

"And here I thought that you would be the bad influence, Erik." a light voice laughed.

Magnus shot up into a standing position, "Charles, why are you here, don't you trust me?"

Harry frowned as he looked at the wheel-chair bound man, 'So, this was the Golden King.' He thought.

"Actually, the kids wanted to go to the mall, and I can only handle screaming girls so long." Charles said.

Harry laughed, making both of the older men turn their attention to him.

"Who is your friend, Erik?"

"Charles, this is Kit, Kit, this is the Golden King." Magnus said sitting down and using the metal in the chair to pull Charles closer.

"You two play chess together? Erik and I used to play."

Harry smiled, "I know, he told me all about you and the Silver King. They were in love weren't they?" Harry asked Magnus.

Magnus choked before he answered, "Yes, they were, still are, even after all this time apart."

"Good." Harry said simply, before telling Magnus his last move, "Check Mate."

Magnus and Charles looked at the board, "How do you do that?" Magnus asked.

"Do what?"

"Win, I haven't lost so much to anyone since Charles."

Harry smiled, "I have to go home, I'm already late because I waited for you." Harry stood and began to walk away, turning back once, "Bring the Golden King around next time, I'm sure he would be a welcome addition to our talks." and then Harry was gone.

"So, Kit is the boy that made you see sense?" Charles asked as they waited for the child.

Magnus rolled his eyes, "Yes, Charles, we've gone over this."

"I'm trying to wrap my mind around the fact that a child talked you out of genocide."

"Right." Magnus said.

"Hello." Harry grinned, even as he tried to hide his wince as he sat down.

"Kit, are you okay?" Magnus asked.

"My guardian strongly disliked my prolonged absence yesterday." Harry said quietly, "He made me aware of such when I got home." Harry shrugged.

Magnus looked at Charles, as the bald man looked at Harry.

"Kit, if you would like you can come stay at the mansion. I'm sure we could help you." Charles offered.

Harry frowned, "With what?"

"Charles, I have to tell you something about Kit," Charles turned to focus on Magnus. "Kit doesn't have a mutation for you to help him with."

"My brain just fried." Charles muttered.

Harry giggled, "Magnus, for shame, you broke the Golden King." Harry waggled a finger at Magnus.

"Oi, Chuck, Jean said you just blanked." A feral mutant scowled as he walked over.

"Erik broke my brain."

The man rolled his eyes, "How?"

"Hi, I'm Kit, Magnus' Non-Mutant friend." Harry held out his hand to the man.

"I see. So are we kidnapping Humans now?" He asked.

"Nope, just me." Harry grinned, "Not that I'll be missed, Oh, Magnus and I can play chess whenever then."

"Shall we leave then?" Magnus asked rolling his eyes.

As they left Magnus put his arm around Harry's shoulders and said, "Only you, Kit, only you."

Harry grinned, "Yeah, because you don't frighten me." Harry leaned into the elder man.

Kit was sleeping when the group arrived at the mansion, Logan parked the car in the garage with all the other vehicles, and helped Charles out as Erik picked Kit up; slipping Kit's arms around his neck, feeling them tighten as he slid his arms under Kit's butt to hold him up.

"We there, Maggie?" Kit slurred as they entered the mansion, a group of children they passed giggled.

"Yeah, Kit, we're here, go back to sleep."

"Mmmm'kay." Kit murmured, nuzzling into Erik's neck.

Erik sighed as Kit went completely limp, he was surprised that Kit wasn't heavier, he should weigh more.

Charles smiled, "There is a free room next to yours if you want to put him there."

Erik nodded, "Thank you, Charles."

"So, who's the kid?" A woman covered in blue scales asked.

"My friend." Erik said as he carried the boy up the stairs.

The girl looked at Charles for an elaboration, Charles only shrugged, "Erik, can you bring me up?" he shouted after the man, smiling thankfully as he glided up the stairs, "Good night!" he shouted.

Harry woke early, scream strangled in his throat. He sat up and swallowed. He breathed in and out slowly. After calming himself he swung his legs over the side of the bed, and he had never been in a bed so large, so last night can't have been a dream.

Harry got out of bed and dug through the dresser, looking for clothing to change into, he frowned as all he found were black turtlenecks and black slacks, Harry shrugged, he had worn worse. He pulled out a white undershirt, a black turtleneck, a pair of black slacks, and a pair of black socks, deciding that he was going to keep his own boxers for now. He then slipped out of his room and down the hall to the toilet, where he took a shower and got dressed.

He walked silently down to the kitchen and frowned at the coffee maker, which was empty; he then looked at the clock on the wall and groaned, it was 3:30 in the morning. Harry sighed and sat at the table, idly picking at the table top.

At 4:30 someone opened the door and screamed, Harry's head shot up as he jump from his light meditative state into full alertness. The blue skinned woman had her hand over her chest and she was gasping.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" Harry asked, though he didn't approach her.

"I'm used to being the first person up." she said quietly. "And for a moment you looked like Erik when he was younger."

"Sorry." Murmured Harry, sitting down.

"Not your fault." She said walking to the coffee maker and starting it.

"I took the clothes from the drawers."

"Ah, you want coffee?"

"Is that okay?"

"Yeah," She pulled two cups from the cabinet and poured coffee into them, "Milk, sugar?"

Harry shook his head as he took the cup she offered, silently cast a charm to check it for additives, like he did everything and took a sip.

"So, how do you know Erik?" The woman asked as she sat across from him.

"We played chess in the park." Harry said simply.

"And you somehow convinced him that his way of doing things was wrong and that Charles would forgive him."

"Was I wrong?" Harry asked.

The girl snarled, and Harry flinched and had a flashback to when he was being chased by Fenrir Greyback. His eyes widened and he jumped up and backed up into the door.

"Are you okay?" The woman asked sounding afraid and surprised.

Harry didn't answer, instead he searched for the door knob, and keeping his eyes on her turned it and ran, he didn't know where he was running but after the nightmare he was high strung.

He collided with someone as he ran out one of the doors into the morning air, the person grabbed him so he wouldn't fall but Harry reacted violently, still panicking, he shoved the heel of his hand into the person's face, stepped on his foot, before swiping his foot across the other's feet, knocking him off his feet, and then Harry continued to run.

A pop made Harry jump and turn, kicking out, surprised when the man popped away, reappearing behind him, Harry focused and within moments the man was held in a position that if he tried to pop away Harry would go with him, or he would kill himself on Harry's knife.

"Kit!" Magnus shouted as he ran across the grass.

Harry's eyes cleared, and he pulled away from the man he was holding, dropping him to the ground, and ran to Magnus and let the older man hug him.

"Are you okay, Raven said you panicked and ran. She doesn't know why you ran."

"S'nothing, I had a night-terror last night. She made a noise that made me flash back, I feel better now." Harry muttered.

"Anyone that can take down Azazel, well, at all, would feel better." Magnus said.

Harry looked up at Magnus as he pulled away from him and turned to the man he had held at knife point.

"I'm sorry, you startled me and I reacted." Harry explained, taking in the red skin of the man and catching sight of a tail swaying back and forth, he remembered that he had curled his knifeless hand around it, keeping it immobile.

"They are good reflexes, especially for ones such as us, and you are very skilled." The man said. "You are the first to immobilize my tail as well as the rest of me."

"You're joking!" One of the mutant children shouted, "Someone beat you?"

Harry looked at Magnus, "Do all the children wake this early?"

"Mostly." Magnus shrugged.

"Oh, Okay then." Harry turned to help the red skinned man up, not that surprised that he was already standing, "Are you hungry, I'll make breakfast, it makes me feel better after a night-terror, What do you want to eat?" Harry asked as he skipped back to the mansion, ignoring the group of teenagers.

"Uh, eggs." Magnus said.

Harry stopped, turned, and glared at Magnus, "I am going to ignore what you just said, and hope you have a better answer for me in ten minutes."

"Right, I'll just go help Charles." Magnus said disappearing into the mansion.

Harry turned to The red skinned man, "I hope you have a better answer for me then 'eggs'." Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I have heard about French toast, but have not had the chance to try it." The man said, surprising the children by doing so timidly.

"Perfect." Harry smiled as they entered the kitchen.

Harry began to get out everything he needed to make French toast, humming as he cooked.

"Is it safe?" Magnus asked, poking his head into the room.

"You were never in danger, Magnus, if I recall the only person I have threatened is the man sitting at the table drinking..." Harry paused sniffing the air, "Milk, if I'm correct." Harry glanced at the man at the table as Magnus pushed Charles into the room, young children following. "I made quite a bit, but I don't know if it is enough for everyone." Harry dished two pieces of French toast for every one and got himself an apple, sitting next to Magnus.

"Aren't you going to eat some?" Charles asked.

"Oh...um...no." Harry smiled.

"Then why should we eat it?" One of the children asked.

Harry shrugged, "You don't have to eat it, but you should have told me you didn't want any, I don't like to waste food."

"Then you eat it." The boy snapped.

"I can't, I would but it makes me sick, I am a vegetarian, not by choice but by necessity." Harry swallowed, "To be polite, my childhood was... unpleasant, when I managed to get food, it wasn't fresh, the vegetables were safer than meat, and by the time I got three meals a day, I had to limit my food to keep it down, but milk, meat, eggs, and other things I am unable to keep down, and I hate wasting food." Harry explained, looking into his coffee cup, finger tracing the edge.

"So, did, Erik rescue you?" A little girl asked as she ate her French toast.

Harry looked at her and smiled, she had pretty pink hair and amber eyes, and Harry saw a little girl that would never exist because Remus and Tonks were dead and wouldn't have the chance to raise a little girl, they didn't even have the chance to raise their little boy.

"Perhaps."

"I didn't, Kit saved me and the Brotherhood, made me think about what I had done, and what I could do to make it right. Kit didn't need saving." Magnus said.

Harry smiled, "Just because I didn't need saving, doesn't mean I didn't want to be saved."

"Kit? That's your name, lame." One of the boys said. "What's your mutation, we'll give you a better one."

Harry frowned, "I'm not a mutant."

Jaws and silverware dropped, "You're joking, right?" The blue skinned woman said.

"No." Harry said simply.

"You do not fight like a human." The red skinned man said slowly.

Harry looked into his cup again, before looking at the man, "I have met others with abilities similar to yours." Harry said, it wasn't quite the truth, but not a lie either.

"Where?" The little girl asked.

"Back in England." Harry said simply.

"Aren't your parents missing you?" One of the older kids asked.

"No...umm the dead can't miss much." Harry murmured, "They've been dead since I was a baby and my guardians are probably thrilled that I'm gone." Harry shrugged, "Magnus, what exactly do you do here?"

"We train the children to control their mutations, and how to defend themselves." Magnus said.

"So, no time for chess?"

"At our usual time in one of the study rooms, I'll come find you."

"Wonderful, what do I do until then?"

"What do you normally do?" Magnus asked, curiously.

"Umm... You, Demon," Harry pointed to the red man, the man looked up, shocked, "You and me are going to spar." Harry jumped up and dragged him out by his tail.

"Erik, was it just me or did Azazel look frightened?" Charles asked.

"That's right you missed it, Kit beat Azazel this morning at fighting." Magnus said simply finishing his breakfast.

"He must be very skilled. Did you teach him?" Charles asked as the students left.

"No, we play chess together, Charles, nothing else."

"Then where did he learn to fight?" Charles wondered.

Harry had found out that after first block, about two hours, Azazel had a defense class that he taught with Logan and Victor, though they both had 'mutant' names, Wolverine for Logan, Sabretooth for Victor. Harry was officially the only person to call Victor by his Human name, having proven that he could beat him, never-the-less hold his own against the older mutant, and he got to call Azazel by Demon with little protest from said mutant, the younger mutants glared at him for seemingly no reason, though Harry figured it had to do with his non-mutant status.

Harry leaned against one of the trees outside, he had gotten bored of watching Azazel teach, so he had wondered around the school, finding all the exits, and finding a few hidden passages, Harry had left the building, reminded of Hogwarts and its many hide-aways.

"You should go back to England, Human, You're not wanted here." A boy snarled at the bottom of the tree Harry was in.

Harry looked down at the boy, a ball of fire burned above his right hand.

"I don't know how it was there, but humans and mutants don't get along here." He snapped.

"They were killed, feared, and hated, just like here." Harry muttered looking off in the distance.

"Huh?" The kid said.

Harry ignored the boy, jumped down from the tree, and went to find someone entertaining.

Harry found himself in the attic, just moving things around, not really feeling nosey enough to go through anything but as he lifted one of the stray books, a genetics journal that dated back nearly a decade if not more so, to put it in one of the spare boxes a photo fell out of it. Curious, Harry picked it up, and found himself needing to sit down.

It was Magnus when he was a young man, his arm curled tightly around a standing Charles that sported a full head of hair, a young woman that could only be that strange blue woman from that morning was clinging to the arm of a young man with thick glasses, that reminded Harry of the ones he used to wear, perched on his nose, and Harry didn't know who the others three were but the two boys were captured forever, one playfully choking the other, and a young woman who had given Magnus a pair of bunny ears. The picture was black and white, and Harry wondered what happened.

*Harry?* A mental voice questioned respectfully waiting at the edge of his shields.

*I'm in the attic, I'll be down in a moment.* Harry returned, not willing to let the telepath into his mind, no matter how much Magnus trusted him.

Harry looked at the photo before deciding to take it with him, and with that he skipped down the stairs and to the kitchen.

Magnus was waiting for him, and Harry smiled at Charles.

"Are you going to join us?" Harry asked.

"Yes, perhaps you and I can have a match." Charles said, smiling.

"Perhaps." Harry murmured as they walked up the stairs, Magnus using his mutation to help Charles up, to one of the study rooms.

"What have you got there, Kit?" Magnus asked as they stepped into one of the rooms, paying little mind to the other people that were watching the television in the middle of the room as they three moved to the back corner where a two person table was setting, a chessboard on top of it.

Harry glanced at the picture, "I found it in the attic. It's the Golden King and the Silver King, when they were young."

Magnus froze as Charles looked confused.

"Magnus, I couldn't figure out who the others were." Harry whispered as they sat down.

Magnus set up the chess set.

"Were they in your stories?" Harry asked.

"Of course, Kit," Magnus held out his hand for the picture which Harry handed over, "Did I ever tell you about the Golden King's first students?" Magnus asked.

Harry shook his head as he shifted so he was sitting on his knees in his chair, leaning foward eagerly like he always did when Magnus told a story.

"It was years after the War, the Silver King was bent on finding the man who killed his mother, and when he met the Golden King he was well on his way to dying to kill the Death King. The Golden King pulled the Silver King up from the water and took him home, and convinced him that they could find other children, a kind of defense team, set to save Humanity and destroy the Death King..."

"I don't like this story, Magnus." Harry whispered, one of the eavesdropping students snorted.

"One of them died before they could manage, another, unhappy with his mutation tried to cure himself, he became furry and growly, but in defeating the Death King the Silver King hurt the Golden King beyond repair and..."

"The Silver King became that which he hated most..." Harry looked into Magnus' eyes, "He became the Death King."

Magnus went still, and all the metal in the room floated into the air and began flying around the room in Magnus' anger.

"Erik!" Charles cried as he began to float.

"Magnus." Harry's scarred hand found Magnus' wrinkled one. "Sometimes our fear blinds us, especially where it concerns the ones we love."

All the metal fell to the ground, except Charles' chair which drifted down gently.

"What do you mean, Kit?" Magnus asked.

Harry merely smiled, and spoke his final move, "Checkmate."

Harry stood as the two older men looked at the board in shock.

"Not everyone is born with a Soul-mate, their perfect match, and rarer still that they even have the chance to meet, but when they do their Bond runs deep, whether they are enemies or lovers it does not matter, they are tied together for all eternity." Harry said quietly before he left the study room.

"Erik, are you okay?" Charles asked.

"He's right." Magnus whispered quietly, still studying the board.

"About what?" Charles inquired, he wasn't sure but it sounded like Erik told Kit about their first group of students.

"The Silver King became the Death King, how come I didn't see it before?" Magnus put his head in his hands.

"What are you saying, Erik, do I need to ask Kit to stay away from you?"

"No." Magnus growled.

"Why are you so defensive of that human?" One of the mutants that had been terrified during Magnus' tantrum asked angrily.

"One, he's not afraid of me, Two, he's never asked me for..." Magnus paused to think, "anything, and Three," Magnus looked at Charles, "I see you in his every act and me in every feature, he's what I always imagined our child might look like if either of us had a mutation that allowed it." Magnus paused and looked at the hands that Charles had joined, thumb brushing over the back of Charles' hand, "Mutant or not I would love our child, and Kit... as far as I am concerned, Kit is my son."

"Then I will call him mine." Charles murmured.

Magnus looked at his friend sharply.

"If he is yours then he must be mine as well, after all, what is mine is yours and what is yours is mine, isn't that what we said when we first got together?" Charles asked.

"I was talking about my mind." Magnus said rolling his eyes.

"And I was talking about my everything." Charles whispered.

"As I recall at that point in my life I had nothing but me." Magnus laughed slightly.

"Now you have a son, we have a son." Charles smiled.

"Eww... my insides just became mush from all the sweetness." One of the children muttered.

Harry hummed as he walked around the gardens, he wondered if Charles would let him have his own section, because of all the chores that the Dursley s had made him do he had been glad to garden, that and cook, the environments had soothed and relaxed him because when he was cooking neither Vernon nor Dudley had disturbed him and when he was in the garden Petunia had left him alone.

"I thought Pyro was lying when he said there was a human here." A boy said, a girl wearing gloves nodded.

"It does seem the sort of lie he would tell." She murmured.

Harry looked at the two, "May I help you?"

"Yeah, get out, this place is supposed to be safe for mutants, it can't be safe as long as you're here. Your parents might come looking for you." The boy said.

"Hmm...Charles invited me, and the only ones that seem to have a problem with me being here and not being a mutant are the teenaged children." Harry said quietly, "If my presence harms any here at any time, you have my permission to hurt me, until then at least be as polite to me as I am to you." Harry turned away from the two children and began walking again.

Harry gasped as he fell forward, the ball of ice rolling away from him. Harry put his hand to the back of his head and stared blankly at the blood on his fingertips, he twisted so he could see his attackers, and a distant part of him questioned whether he should go easy on the children.

Harry's eyes closed as he fought his instant reactions, the ones that said to kill the people that hurt him, his fingers clenched in the dirt.

"Aww...the poor human looks afraid, doesn't he Bobby." The girl said, mockingly.

And that took what was left of Harry's control, he no longer saw two children, he saw Bellatrix and her husband, but Harry had never been able to fight them, Remus had told him to run and he always listened to Remus. Harry shot to his feet and ran, fear blinding him, memories overtaking him. Suddenly he wasn t Magnus' Kit, he was Harry Potter again and he was running for his life.

Harry tripped over something and his ankle twisted and broke, Harry didn't even think about stopping, he could hear the two chasing after him, he forced himself up and to ignore the throbbing of his ankle as he kept running. And suddenly arms were wrapped around him, trying to hold him still, and the only thing that registered in Harry's mind was that the arms were furry and tight and Harry was vaguely aware that he was screaming and hitting the person, struggling wildly.

"LET ME GO, LET ME GO!" Harry screamed, not realizing that his screaming was carrying over the school. Harry kicked at the person holding him and was pleased that the arms loosened just enough that he could slip out of them.

Harry began to run again and screamed when a hand grabbed his ankle, and he fell, he tried kicking the person, but they seemed to expect that and didn't let go.

The person crawled up Harry's body and Harry struggled even more wildly, his mind providing the possibilities of what the man might do, "Please, let me go, just let me go, I..."

"Shh...no one is going to hurt you, calm down." The voice growled soothingly, "Shh...it's okay, calm down... Shhh."

And for some reason that Harry couldn't explain he believed the man and he stilled, breathing heavily, gasping as he realized that at some point he had begun crying.

Harry swallowed and looked at the person talking to him, he had blue fur but he was warm and Harry was suddenly very cold so he curled into the other as he sat them up, arms still around him.

A blue furred hand carefully brushed away his tears with the rubbery pad of his thumb. "Now, what scared you so much?" The man asked.

Harry looked up as the two children appeared from one direction and Charles, Magnus, Azazel, Logan, and Victor from another, and a few other adults that Harry didn't recognize from a different direction.

"Nothing." Harry whispered into blue fur as he burrowed into the warmth.

"Kit," Magnus knelt next to the two, "I want you to tell the truth, why were you scared?"

Harry glanced up at Magnus, "I had a flash-back again, I...I don't want to talk about it."

"Very well, what made you flash-back?" Magnus asked petting the back of Harry's head, frowning at the blood that he saw on his fingers.

"She was mocking me, Moony told me to run, always listen to Moony, no Moony's dead, him and Tonks, Teddy-bear is an orphan now, not right, should have stayed, helped, Moony might be alive, my fault, should have stayed, poor Teddy, all alone, just like me, not right, not right..." Harry muttered, rocking back and forth in the furred mutants lap. "'M sorry, 's'my fault." Harry looked up at Magnus, "'S'my fault they're dead, all my fault, if I hadn't been so afraid, they might be alive, but I was afraid, I was afraid, 'm sorry I was afraid..." Harry trailed off to a whisper curling his hands over his mouth, curling into the blue mutant's chest.

Charles looked at Harry, "what were you afraid of, Kit?" he asked curious.

Harry looked up at the paralyzed mutant.

"I was afraid to die, didn't want to die, hadn't lived yet, and was afraid I'd never get the chance." Harry suddenly laughed, shocking everyone; eventually he trailed off to slight giggles.

"Fucking Human is crazy." The boy that had hurt Harry muttered.

"Why don't you tell us why you two were running after a frightened human, Robert." Charles said turning his attention to the two young mutants.

"I...we...well..." Robert began.

"We were worried." The girl said.

"That so?" Logan growled. "Then why do you smell like you're lyin'?"

"S'not their fault, they were afraid too." Harry said, "They just wanted to be safe..."

"So they attack someone they know can't fight back?" A red-headed mutant asked, "That's so much better."

Harry stood up scowling, "I may not be a mutant, lady, but I am far from helpless, yeah, I prefer not to fight but that's because I am not a violent person. I am far from helpless, even against people like you, The Demon can attest to that." Harry pointed to Azazel "As can Mr. Blue and Furry." Harry finished.

The woman looked at him intently and Harry felt a slight pressure at his mental shield.

"Stay the hell out of my mind." Harry snarled.

Charles looked at her, "Jean, we don't do that."

"Your shields are impressive, for a human." She said instead.

"Try that again and you'll find a lot more than shields protect my thoughts." Harry muttered, beginning to walk and stumbling as his ankle protested his weight.

"Kit!" Magnus shouted catching Harry before he could fall. "What's wrong?"

Harry smiled at the elder's concern, "I forgot my ankle is broken, I broke it when I was running."

"How do you forget your ankle is broken?" The girl asked, curiously.

"When you're running for your life a broken ankle is trivial." Harry explained, shrugging.

Harry scowled, this was absolutely ridiculous, his ankle was broken not his legs, but no Magnus insisted that he either be carried, and there was no way in hell that that was going to happen, or he use the wheelchair, of course Harry would have preferred crutches, but apparently that wasn't an option, nor was walking, and of course everyone offered to push the poor human's chair, it was driving Harry insane, and it had only been an hour.

Harry sighed as told yet another person that he didn't need help then he rolled himself to the kitchen where he locked both doors and stood up from the chair and began to cook dinner, ignoring the slight throbbing in his ankle, he had had worse before that he had had to walk on.

As he sat on the counter waiting for the chicken to bake he used a knife to cut an apple, then he quietly ate the pieces humming slightly.

A knock sounded on the door, "Kit, are you in there?" Magnus asked.

"Go away, you're driving me nuts." Harry shouted.

"How, I haven't seen you all day."

"You are making me use a wheel chair for a broken ankle, everyone is asking the poor bloody Human if he needs help. I don't need help damn it, when I did no one was there so bugger off and leave me alone." Harry snapped.

"Kit, I am going to unlock the door and then we can talk." Magnus said softly.

"Open it and I will leave, I'll hide, I found all kinds of hiding places today."

Harry heard Magnus sigh, "So what do you want me to do?"

"Just go away for a while, I'll holler when dinner is done." Harry said, "I should feel better by then."

"Okay."

Magnus looked at Charles who was trying not to laugh.

"Hey, don't give me that look, you are the one that chose a teenager for your kid, a child would have been easier." Charles said.

"Yeah, I know." Magnus muttered.

"Look on the positive side."

"And what is that?"

"At least you can come back later today, most of the kids here when they get mad don't want to see each other for days." Charles explained.

"Sometimes I forget why we're together." Magnus deadpanned turning and beginning to walk away.

"Aww, Erik, don't you love me anymore, think of the children, they'll be devastated if you leave, don't leave me, darling." Charles called after him, mockingly.

"I'll be back later, Mom." Magnus returned, making Charles laugh outright.

Harry rolled his eyes and ignored the crazy people just outside the kitchen. He sighed and checked his chicken, he then carefully pulled it out of the oven and put it out to cool while he made pasta and mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans. Once the meal was finished Harry set it out on the table, buffet style, not sure who liked what, then he placed the plates on the table with the silverware, well plasticware, and yes, he was mocking Magnus, he then set glasses at each plate, filling the children's with milk, the adult's with soda, and setting two beers where he knew Victor and Logan were going to sit.

After that was done Harry unlocked the door and opened it, "Magnus," He shouted, "Food's done!"

Harry then sat at the table as far from Magnus as he could, situating himself between the two beers he had set out.

Logan and Victor were the first to enter the room and sat on either side of Harry and they watched the others file in, chuckling a bit at Magnus' face as he noticed the arrangement and the silverware, Charles laughed outright, the rest of them didn't care much as they all complemented Harry's cooking.

Once the children finished they left, the adults following, leaving Magnus and Harry to clean up alone.

"Kit, are you still mad?" Magnus asked.

"Not really, just annoyed." Harry sighed, "I have had worse that I walked through. Honestly, Magnus, just because you and I play chess doesn't mean that you're my father or anything, I'm sorry I'm a little to old for you to take that spot, maybe if I had been just a little younger, but not now, I'm too broken." Harry looked at the man, "My parents died when I was a baby and the people I was left with hurt me very badly, the school I went to at eleven wasn't much better, I am broken, and there isn't anything you can do to fix me, you saw what happened when Charles asked me what I was afraid of."

"Kit..." Magnus said slowly, "It's not like I was expecting you to start calling me dad, it was just you remind me of the Golden King so much in your faith in everybody and your actions, I mean you came up to me in the park not knowing if I was a mass murderer and asked if you could play chess with me, it was something he would do, and sometimes in certain lighting, your eyes remind me of my mother's and...I love Charles, he and I would never have a child if it meant being unfaithful...I always wanted children, I never told Charles, but you made me realize that you don't have to be MINE to be mine."

"But there are a dozen kids you could choose from, why me?"

"You're not afraid of me, the others run when I enter the room." Magnus shrugged, "Also I named you, and isn't that a parent requirement."

Harry grinned. "Yep, so when I bring home someone..."

"Not happening."

"But I am an adult." Harry pointed out.

"Not happening." Magnus growled.

Harry grinned, "So, if they are already here it is okay?"

"Sur...wait, no." Magnus said as Harry laughed, slipping out of the kitchen.

Harry hummed as he watched some of the younger children play, he had been at the mansion for almost three weeks and the younger mutants were still inclined to hate him, at least the ones that were teenagers, the elder ones treated him like he was one of them, even when he had a break-down. Harry had laughed when Charles had shown him a memory of Magnus' face when Victor had told him to 'Suck it up' when he had panicked one time.

But most of all Harry liked playing chess with Magnus, the others were great and Harry loved them for making him feel welcome and Hank had been surprised when he had revealed a bit of medical knowledge, though none of them had commented when he mentioned that most of his knowledge came from first hand experience. Harry still spared with Azazel and sometimes Victor and Logan would join, though that seemed to make the kids hate him more, it seemed that the only people Victor and Logan spared with were eachother or Hank and Azazel.

And though Harry loved the mansion and it's people, today was never a good day for him, and dispite the children and even some of the adults being in joyful spirits he couldn't bring himself to share the sentimate, it was Halloween afterall, the day he had become an orphan.

Harry sighed and stood up, he glanced at the costumed children and smiled, even though some of them weren't costumed they looked it, and this was the one night they could get away with it, Harry swallowed and turned away, walking into the mansion.

Hours later, after all the little ones had been divided to an older person to go trick or treating, Harry sat alone in one of the study-rooms, drinking hot chocolate laced with some of Charles' thirty year old liquor, after the first glass he skipped the hot chocolate and just drank the liquor, he didn't expect some of the teenagers to come back early.

"Well, look what we have here, the human doing illegal things." Rouge scowled, as she swayed into the room, dressed as a witch.

"Should we tell the professor?" Bobby asked.

"Wouldn't believe us anyway, kid's got Magneto wrapped around his finger." Pyro muttered.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Turn me in or join me, either way, shut up."

"Excuse me?" Rogue asked, increadalous.

"You heard me, I plan on not being able to think straight by midnight, and not being able to walk a straight line in the morning, Join me or whatever, but let me get shit-faced in peace. I'm not up to trying to be nice to you lot at the moment. So, sit or leave." Harry downed his mug of liquor, then poured him another, draining the last of that bottle and opening another.

Shrugging the two boys sat next to Harry on the floor and took a swig of the alcohol, Rogue huffed and plopped down with them, following their example, after finishing his mug Harry decided to just drink from the bottle as well.

Finally after a few drinks, Rogue got bored, "If we are going to drink then we should play a game at least." She announced.

"Yeah? I'm open to suggestions." Harry muttered, throwing back another swallow, then handing the bottle off to Pyro.

"Oh I got it, I Never." Bobby said loudly, drunk already.

Harry rolled his eyes, "You never what? Had a girlfriend?"

Bobby glared, though the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that he was taking a drink.

"It's a drinking game." Pyro explained, "Each time someone says something they've never done, if you have then you take a drink."

"Right then, since Drake's already halfway gone he can finish that bottle." Harry said handing each of the teens an unopened bottle."So, who starts?"

When no one voluteered Rogue sighed, "I will, I never kissed someone."

She, Pyro, and Bobby took a drink, and Harry wished he could.

"Next." Harry scowled.

"I never laughed until I peed." Pyro said grinning wickedly at Bobby, who happily took his drink.

"I never lied to Magneto. Guy's freaken' creepy." Bobby muttered.

Harry grinned and took a long drink, "You, Drake just became my favorite."

"You lied to Magneto?" Rogue whispered.

Harry shrugged, "More of an omission than a lie, really, my turn? Hmmm... I never licked a frozen pole."

Bobby drank and the others laughed.

After three hours of drinking and a few bottles each later, Harry was more relaxed than he could remember being, then she had to go there, she probaly didn't mean it like that but, it was said.

"I never had sex." Rogue giggled slightly watching both Pyro and Bobby drink, and then her eyes turned to Harry as he shakily took his drink.

"But, you said you haven't kissed anyone." Pyro said.

Harry sighed, "I haven't, don't need kissing to have sex."

"Kit..." Rogue whispered.

"Let's not, you don't like me, and it's in the past, Pyro, your turn."

"I...I never called the professor mom."

And they all giggled as they drank.

"Oh, I never refered to Magneto as dad, in my mind or otherwise." Bobby input.

They all drank, laughing.

"Hem, hem." They all jerked their heads to look at the door where Charles and Magnus were, both with their arms crossed over their chests.

"Hey, want to join us?" Harry asked, holding out a bottle.

"Rogue, Bobby, Pyro, get up to bed. Erik, you get Kit." Charles said firmly.

"Right then, I know when I'm done." Harry muttered watching the other teens stumble to their feet, swaying and then ambling off to their rooms.

Harry rolled his eyes as he rose gracefully to his feet, "Bloody lightweights." and he walked off to his own room, not even stumbling once.

Harry was happily making breakfast when Charles rolled in, he waited a moment to start, giving people time to stumble in and slump into chairs, Harry glanced at his drinking buddies and was ashamed that they looked so bad, that he had let them drink so much.

"Kit, do you want to tell me why you broke into my liquor cabinet last night, with three other students?" Charles asked.

"To be fair, I broke into it, the others just walked in on my pity-party, I asked them to join me." Harry muttered.

"Still, you broke into my alcohol..."

"Wasn't even good." Harry muttered.

Charles sighed, "Be that as it may... Why did you do it, Kit?"

"It was Halloween, I always drink on Halloween, My aunt used to hope that I'd get alcohol poisoning or something, the way she handed me drinks when I was little, while my cousin and her husband were trick or treating, always was dissapointed when I woke the next day." Harry shrugged. "My parents died when I was one on Halloween."

"Kit..."

"Look, I'm a big kid, Charles, it's no big deal, it's over, you can't change the past, and honestly, why would you, it shapes us into who we are, Magnus whouldn't be the same if he had escaped the camps, and you would be different if you still had the use of your legs. I'm dealing, just by being there for me you've done more for me than any one else has even offered."

Harry dished breakfast out and smiled appologetically in Pyro, Rogue, and Bobby's direction.

"How can you be so normal when you had so much more to drink than we did?" Bobby whined.

"Tolerence for high end and high alcoholic drinks." Harry smiled, "Also practice."

"So, just a question, how much did they drink?" Jean asked.

"Kit was on the last bottle when we found them." Magnus said.

"The lightweights had about three bottles each, including the one we shared." Harry muttered.

"You Drank Seventeen Bottles Of Thirty Year Old Liquor Alone?!" Magnus shouted.

"No, was more like twenty." Harry said, tapping his finger against his lip thoughtfully. "I wasn't counting though."

"Good job, Kit." Logan growled.

"Logan, we are not encouraging this." Charles said.

"We're not, just letting the incedent pass, like the love affair between Mum and Dad and the divorce and the accidental child that dragged them back together." Scott said, "And we never thought we would know what it was like to have a normal family."

"Yeah." Harry said happily, "Wait, am I the accident?" Harry bit his lip as Scott nodded and Harry turned to Magnus with tears in his eyes, "Does that mean you didn't want me?"

Magnus rolled his eyes, "'Course I did, the others Charles brought home." He said pulling Harry in for a hug.

Harry pulled away, grinning wickedly, "Knew you'd fall for that, I was just curious." Harry turned to the kids, "See he's not all that scary, he's like a kitty-cat harmful in defence but when you find that one spot he's just a ball of fluff."

"I don't know if I should be insulted or not." Magnus muttered to Charles.

"Kit still needs to be punished for underage drinking and breaking and entering." Charles said softly.

"Yep, I need to be punished, oh, can Azazel punish me?" Harry asked.

"No," Magnus growled, "Logan, Sabretooth and Hank are out too."

"Nuts." Harry muttered.

"Kit, you, Rogue, Bobby, and Pyro will clean the library." The three kids groaned, and Harry shrugged.

"Aright, I'm off to face my punishment." Harry said skipping off.

"He was way too happy to go do that." Charles commented.

"That's because he cleaned it last week." Magnus sighed.

"Why didn't you stop me?"

"You weren't listening, were you?" Magnus returned.

"Like I said, normal family." Scott said as he left.

Harry hummed quietly as he read the book while he laid on top of one of Charles' tall bookshelves in the library. There were three different stacks in front of him so he didn't have to climb up and down all day, Harry had levitated himself up onto the shelf and hadn't realized that the only ladder in the library was four rows away.

Harry finished the book he was reading and set it aside, revealing its title to be The Many Species of Snakes, Harry figured that if he was stuck with talking to them he might as well know what kind he was talking to. He reached for another book, this one a pleasent surprise he had found when he had cleaned the llibrary the other day, a book in parseltongue, there had been several other books in the same language and that had surprised Harry, mostly because he hadn't known that there was a written language.

*Kit?* Charles' mental voice called.

*Yes?* Though still wary about allowing the professor access to his mind he had gotten to the point where they could have conversations about things, and though there was a point where Harry would pull away and have himself a mini-panic it was taking longer for it to happen each time, but Harry still pulled away short of five minutes, some of the teenagers mocked him for it, though far from the ears of Magnus and Charles.

*What are you doing at the moment?* Charles asked.

*Reading, why, is Magnus throwing another fit?* Harry asked.

*No, there is a young man down here, you are fluent in French, are you not?*

*Oui.* Fluer had taught him when he had a spare moment.

*Oh, good, can you come help us?*

*Yes, I'll be down in a moment.* Harry sent. *But why not just touch his mind?*

*I didn't think about that* There was a minute pause *His mind is as blank to me as Logan's or Sabretooth's.*

*'Kay.* Harry hopped down from the bookshelf after marking his place, the books he had pulled out floating down to rest on a table until he could return, his current book on top of one of the stacks. Harry then skipped down to where he figured Charles would be.

He found them in the living room, Logan and Victor trying to hold the mutant down as he screamed profanities and other things at Charles and the others. Harry frowned a moment translating the man's words. His hand flew to his mouth for a moment before he began talking as he got closer to the man, but the man took no notice of Harry's calming words, only fought harder.

Harry swallowed, there one thing he could do, but it required eye contact, for however brief a moment, just enough to get him in.

Harry waited, watching the man's black-rimmed red eyes, and there it was, he looked into Harry's eyes and Harry dived.

*Calm yourself* Harry said in gentle French, *No one is going to hurt you, I promise.*

*That so? That's what they said too, said I was safe.* The man's mental projection showed him surrounded by fire and cards that glowed red, like his eyes.

*Well, I don't know about safe, considering all the mutant students mucking about, but I can garentee that Charles only wishes to help you. He really is optamistic that way.*

The man frowned, *What do you mean?*

*Charles believes in the good of everyone, it makes him unique. He created this school a long time ago in order to help mutants learn to control and accept their powers, as well as giving them a home when theirs was no longer safe.*

*So, like a half-way house?* the man asked

Harry nodded *Yes, I suppose so.*

The man nodded.

*So, can I pull away or do I need to make you sleep for a bit to calm you down?* Harry asked.

*I am calm, but how is it that you can touch my mind? No telepath I have come across has been able to do so.*

Harry smiled and pulled away, voice falling quiet as he had kept up the constant stream of calming French while he had been in the man's mind, just as his knees hit the floor while his mind came back to his body, he didn't know that useing Legilimency would take so much out of him, his shields didn't take so much energy to maintain and he kept them up all the time, he wondered how Charles managed on a dialy basis.

"Kit, are you alright? What the hell did you do to him?" That was Magnus' angry voice, Harry tried to focus, he was Kit, that wasn't right, that wasn't his name, where was he, he wasn't at Hogwarts, but he was in a school, and someone was screaming, why was someone screaming? Why did that voice sound familiar?

"My head hurts." Harry whispered.

"Kit." The strangely familiar man was suddenly in front of him.

Harry blinked at the man, "Who are you? Why are you calling me Kit? Where am I?" Harry asked.

"Kit, what is going on with you?"

Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes, frowning mentally as he took stock of his mind, his shields had been stripped down and destroyed, at least the chaotic twister of useless memories was still intact as well as the fire walls that licked at his more important memories, not like any one would understand them, them being in parseltongue afterall, but now he understood why he was jumbled, it was the twister throwing random memories at him. Harry swallowed and began to build his shields again, laying them down brick by brick, and then pulled dark metal to fill in the cracks and to reinforce the walls.

When he opened his eyes everyone was stareing at him. "What?" He asked.

"What just happened?" Magnus asked.

"My shields collapsed, My second defense confused me, because it was throwing random memories at me." Harry shrugged, "I'm all better now."

"Kit, you didn't know who we were, or where you were." Charles said softly.

"Yeah, those memories are in my important place."

"Okay, why did your shields collapse?" Magnus asked.

Harry winced, "I did something stupid...again."

"Do ya want to share with the rest of us?" Logan asked.

Harry paused then shook his head, "Nope."

"'Course not." Logan scowled.

Harry smiled at the sour man before he turned to the red-eyed man.

"Hello, my name is Kit, and yours is?" Harry asked smiling.

The man frowned, "Ma name be Gambit, Remy LeBeau." The man held out his hand.

Harry nodded and shook the man's hand. "Nice to meet you, Remy, now may I ask what brought you here?" Harry asked as he motioned Remy to a seat.

The man sat frowning, "Ah heard tha' this be a safe place fo' folk like Gambit."

Charles smiled, "Yes, we help mutants learn about their mutations."

"Heard tha' too." Remy said.

Charles nodded, "Kit, I think you should be in charge of Mr. LeBeau, that way if he starts talking French we don't have to worry about not understanding."

Harry nodded, "Come on, Remy, I'll show you the library." and Harry pulled the ma up to the library.

Once in the library Harry locked the door, "Alright then, Remy, there are things that you have to know, first, no one here knows that I can do things like the one I did, they know that I have mental shields but not much else, second they think I am Human, third, actually, that's about it."

"Why?" Remy asked.

"Because I didn't want Magnus to know that I am special." Harry turned away from the man, "I didn't want him to be my friend because of /what/ I am, but rather /who/ I am."

"Gambit understands, he won't tell."

Harry smiled at the man, "Thank you, Remy."

Remy nodded. "Why we be here?"

"I'm being punished, I'm suppose to be cleaning the library." Harry sat down on one of the couches, pulled the book he had been about to read earlier from its spot, opened it and began to read.

"Looks clean tuh me." Remy mentioned as he sat next to Harry.

"Yeah, I cleaned it the other day." Harry said off handedly, as he lay on his back placeing his head in Remy's lap.

"Why ya bein' punished?" Remy asked, looking down at the boy laying on him.

"Oh, I drank most of Charles' liquor last night."

Remy laughed, "Bet ya had fun. Why did ya lock the door?"

"Yeah I had fun, I locked the door to annoy Magnus. Now shh, I'm trying to read this, it's hard enough as it is." Harry said.

Remy smiled and let himself relax against the couch, after a while he pulled a book from one of Harry's stacks to read.

It was hours later when the lock on the door opened itself that Remy looked up from his book to see the man in the wheel-chair and the man who had rushed to Kit's aide earlier in the doorway.

"Hey, it's dinner time, and when Kit didn't come down we thought we would come get you." Charles explained.

Remy nodded and looked down to the boy in his lap and was shocked to see the boy sleeping, book still in his hands, though it had closed with his fingertips marking his page, some time ago he must have turned onto his side but Remy didn't remember the shift.

"I'll take him up to bed, LeBeau, go eat." Magneto said as he lifted Kit up, after marking his page.

"Maggie? What time is it?" Kit slurred.

"Apparently your bed time, let's go." And Magnato carried the boy from the room.

"I can walk." Kit muttered as Magneto carried him down the hall to his room.

"Humor me."

"Didn't think you were that old." Kit said as Magneto placed him in his bed and tucked him in.

Magneto sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the boy he considered his friend and son.

"What really happened today?" Magneto asked.

"I told you," Kit sighed as he sat up in the bed. "I did something stupid, and my shields fell."

"Shields don't fall for no reason, Kit, what aren't you telling me?" Magneto stared at Kit and the boy looked away from him for the first time, in shame.

"I'm not telling you alot of things, Magnus, I have seen the worst of Humanity, and the worst of people like you, it is how you respond to them that shapes who you become, the world will always have good people and bad people, they can be mutant or human or otherwise, a sad man once said 'there is only power and those too weak to seek it', but in truth it is how you weild that power that makes a man." Kit turned his gaze to Magneto and Magneto saw in the boy, /the child/, himself, back when he first met Charles, a boy who knew death and had dealt it fairly. "Dying is the easy part, for what you believe in, for someone you love, but living is the hardest thing anyone ever has to do, because how you live defines what kind of person you are and the best thing you can live for is those that never got the chance." Kit paused, "I lost so many people, my mother died so I could live, the closest person I had to a father died protecting me, my best friend stepped in front of me when I would have died, but some times I wonder if I was worth dying for, why was I not worth living for?" Kit looked at Magneto with tear-filled eyes and Magneto pulled the boy into his arms, and said nothing, not knowing what to say.

Kit's shoulders shook as he sobbed and his fingers clenched tightly on Magneto's shirt.

"'M sorry, Magnus," Kit said as he drew away, "I just...I'm always a little lost after Halloween, I'm broken."

Magneto shook his head, "Not broken, just cracked, we'll fix that, I promise, we'll try." Magneto stood and re-tucked Kit in after the boy shifted to lay down again, pressed a kiss to his forehead, and walked to the door.

"Magnus, would...would I be allowed to call you dad?" Kit asked in a quiet voice.

Magneto turned back to look at the small boy that was dwarfted by the large bed he was in and he smiled, "As long as you call Charles mum."

Kit smiled, "I can do that. 'Night, dad." Kit whispered as Magneto turned off his lamp.

"Good night, son." Magneto whispered as he shut the door and locked it from the inside with his mutation.

"You told him to call me mom?" Charles asked Erik as the man carried him from his chair to the bed.

"Yes, I think it would be cute, plus most of the kids call you mom anyway, when you are out of earshot, as you found out the other day." Erik defended.

"Most of them call you dad in their head, or pops in some cases." Charles returned as Erik slid into the bed with him.

"Do you think Kit would let us adopt him for real?" Erik asked.

"We don't even know what his real name is, Erik, and he is almost eighteen." Charles pointed out.

"Yeah," Erik put his hand on Charles' hip, "I... I can't believe it took so long for me to realize what I had become, I am so sorry Charles, sorry that I left you on the beach, sorry that I didn't listen to you, I am so sorry."

*What did Kit say to you, My Love?* Charles asked mentally as he curled his arms around Erik.

*He is so like me and yet, so like you...he still believes that the world can be better.*

*It can, we just need to work together.* Charles said as they drifted to sleep.

Harry slipped quietly into Rogue's room, and he placed a gloved hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming as she woke.

"Shhh, it's me." Harry pulled his hand away.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" She asked angrily.

"I had an idea, and I already got Logan to agree, but it's a surprise for Magnus and the professor, so we have to work on it while they are asleep." Harry explained.

"Why me?"

"I thought, that if you and Logan combine your powers you might be able to fix the professor."

"WHAT?!" She yelled.

"Shh, your power pulls other people's right, well, if you pull Logan's healing power and somehow redirect it to the professor it would heal him like it heals Logan right, and then he'll be able to walk again." Harry told her.

The girl practically dove out of bed, "Let's do it."

Harry grinned, "Sorry, so not my type."

She smiled, "Let's go."

And so they practiced, under the supervision of Hank, Azazel, and Victor, during the night and with doses of coffee, supplied by said people survived during the day on only a few hours' sleep. After a week they were thrilled that they were making progress though Rogue and Logan only managed to heal simple cuts and nothing near a break it was still more than they had begun with, which had been nothing.

"What are we doing wrong?" Rogue asked, dissapointed in their little progress.

Hank and the others frowned as Harry smiled, "You aren't doing anything wrong, but I think I know why it isn't working." Harry said.

"Why?" Logan asked.

"You are trying to heal something that you have no idea about, you can see how cuts need to be healed and that is simple and over in less than a week, but a break is more complicated, and under layers of skin, muscle, and tissue, surrounded by nerves and blood vessels, so we should learn about how a broken bone heals, particularly the nerves and blood vessels around it, because we will be fixing broken nerves and blood vessels as well as the bones in his spine." Harry explained.

"Why don't I need to know that?" Logan asked.

"Because you don't need to actively guide the healing mutation." Hank took over, "So...Nerves..." And they all listened intently as Hank talked.

It was Christmas Eve and they were in Hank's lab, testing it once again, after the lesson on nerves and broken bones, it had become easier, now that they knew how it worked and since it was old dead nerves, Hank had thrown in a little about that, and finally Rogue and Logan would try to fix a poor rabbit that had been paralized for a few weeks.

Harry kept his fingers crossed as he watched the two work, hoping against hope that it would work.

"It worked..." Hank said softly as the rabbit hopped around the workroom, "It worked!" he said exitedly and suddenly Harry was being swung around by a furry mutant as he laughed. "I can't believe it worked..." He muttered puting Harry down.

Harry smiled, "We can surprise Charles and Magnus tomorrow for Christmas, but we should get to sleep, so it will go fine."

They all nodded and bid eachother goodnight while Hank still muttered 'It worked' under his breath.

Harry woke up on Christmas day excited, he got up and dressed quickly, though in less than festive clothing, but with an idea he spun once and his clothing looked like an elf suit, which consisted of tight green pants and a green shirt with red trim at his waist and wrists, his shoes were knee-high stelletto heeled boots that had golden jingle bells on the top of them and with another spell his ears were pointed as he grabbed one of the belled elf hats that the children kept leaving everywhere which were green with red trim.

And with a smile skipped down to help Magnus fix breakfast.

"You're looking festive." Magnus said as Harry walked into the kitchen.

Harry nodded as the other kids walked into the room, "Yep, I thought that I would have a little fun."

Charles smiled as the children finished their food quickly and looked at Charles expectantly.

"Oh, go on the presents are waiting for you." And every child ran out except for Rogue, who moved to stand with Logan, Hank, and Azazel who had been forced into elf costumes, similar to Harry's, Rogue was wearing a female version, and Victor, who had somehow been forced into a Santa outfit, stood next to Harry.

"Alright, What's up?" Magnus asked.

"We got you a present." Harry said, "Charles, if you would come over here." Harry motioned to where the six were standing.

"You shouldn't have spent anything on us." Charles said as he moved to where Harry wanted him.

"Oh, we didn't..." At this Hank coughed pointedly, "Well, we didn't spend a lot." Harry amended.

"Ookay." Charles said as he watched Rogue take off her gloves and take Logan's hand.

Rogue closed her eyes as she slipped her hand down the professor's spine to touched the slightly raised peice of skin, where a bullet had caused him to lose the use of his legs.

"What are..." Charles began before he was cut off as he felt something strange bubble under his skin, his eyes fell closed and he gasped as feeling returned to his legs, "Oh my god..." He gasped.

Rogue pulled away and Victor caught Logan as his legs gave way while Hank caught Rogue.

Charles' eyes opened, "Erik, come over here." Charles gripped Magnus' arms and pulled himself up into a standing position and took the two steps to get closer to Magnus.

Magnus' eyes were wide and astonished, "You...You can walk...god, Charles, you can walk." Magnus pulled Charles into a tight hug and swung him around. "You can walk." Then he turned to the group, "How did you even think of this?"

"Kit thought it up," Hank said, "He figured that if Logan healed instantly and Rogue could 'borrow' mutations than she could 'borrow' Logan's, and direct it to heal an injury, like the professor's, so, we practiced, We've been working on this since just after Halloween. I just don't understand why it took so much out of them."

Harry grinned, "Well, a person is bigger than a rabbit."

Magnus and Chrles looked at Harry and both dragged him into a hug. "Thank you, Kit."

"Hey, we did the work." Logan growled as Harry pulled away from the two older men.

Rogue nodded, "Yeah, we had to learn just how those nerves healed in normal situations, and Hank had us fill out tests, that he graded."

"Thank you, you guys have no idea what this means to us." Charles said, wiping at his eyes.

Harry nodded, "You should take it easy though, slowly build up your muscles."

Charles nodded and sat down in his chair, "You kids have presents under the tree too." He said which made the others rush out leaving Charles, Magnus, and Harry alone in the kitchen.

"Happy Christmas, Mum," Harry hugged Charles, "Dad." Harry wrapped his arms around Magnus' neck, letting the older man lift him up slightly, then he followed the others out to the tree.

Charles looked up at Magnus, "Should we tell the others?"

"Let's wait until New Years. Let them have a little time to enjoy their success without people asking how they managed."

Charles nodded and sent the message to those involved who sent back confirmations as they travelled to the tree.

Harry was grinning from his spot kneeling next to the tree, until he saw the black wrapped paper, he grabbed it to see who it was to and he froze, glad that the others were laughing and enjoying themselves but he was suddenly cold as he unwrapped the present addressed to Harry Potter.

The black paper fell to the ground as he pulled it from the simple black box, carfully he lfted the lid and gasped before he could stop himself, his hand flying to cover his mouth and nose as the smell of rotting flesh filled the room quickly, the sound of laughter died as the mutants all turned to Harry and his box.

With a shaking hand, that Harry couldn't manage to still, Harry lifted the red stained note and held it up to read the writting that was penned on it.

'You thought you were safe, my wittle baby, you thought wrong, your freaky friends won't be able to protect you, and I will have my revenge. Your uncle was very talkative, sweetheart, and I'm sure you will thank me for killing him for you, after all he has done to hurt you. I think this is a perfect Christmas present for you, the piece of him that he used to hurt you most of the time. Bellatrix.'

Harry finished reading the note and he didn't need the signature to know who wrote it, just as he didn't need to look in the box to know which part was there.

"Kit?" Charles asked.

Harry looked up and saw Charles approaching him, so he scrambled for the lid to the box, but in doing so knocked the box off his lap, sending the contence tumbling out of it. The older mutants tried to quickly cover the eyes of the younger ones that hadn't been sent away when the smell had taken over the room and Harry looked at Magnus guiltily.

Charles pulled Harry into his lap and hugged him as Magnus lifted up the note to read it himself.

"Kit," Magnus knelt in front of Charles' chair, hands on the man's knees, "Did your uncle rape you?" he asked gently.

Harry swallowed as he buried his face into Charles' neck and nodded.

*The first few times I didn't uderstand, all I knew was that it hurt and I wanted it to stop and never happen again. I don't even remember how old I was, just that I wasn't in school yet, and I didn't find out what he was doing until I was thirteen when one of my teachers pulled me aside and asked my why I smelled liked sex and cum.* Harry sent to Charles, *When I told him, he asked me why I didn't tell my headmaster, and I told him that I had told him that I didn't want to go back. Moony couldn't do a lot, he wasn't fit to take me in, but he sent me care packages, and he took care of me as best he could when he wasn't even allowed to be in the same city as me.*

Harry looked at Magnus, who pulled Harry away from Charles into his own arms, "It wasn't your fault, and it doesn't change that you are our son, alright, we love you and we won't let the crazy lady hurt you."

Harry looked up at Magnus, pleadingly, "Promise?" He asked.

Magnus nodded, "Promise." He and Charles said together.

Harry wasn't afraid, not like Magnus thought he was, he was more worried about how the other kids were holding up, this was afterall the first time some of them had ever seen a rotting human body part.

"Hey!" Some one yelled.

Harry turned to see Rogue dragging Bobby and Pyro along behind her. She stopped short of running into him and drew him into a hug, which he returned tightly, knowing that she was reassuring herself that he was alright more than anything else.

"Are you okay?" She asked pulling away from him.

"I'm perfectly fine, not the first time I've been sent weird things, usually not something so obvious, but hearts and a head once, but not...not that," the realization hit Harry suddenly, "I need a phone."

"Okay..." Rogue said leading Harry to one of the phones in the mansion.

Harry dialed a number that he hadn't thought he would ever dial. The phone seemed to ring forever, when it was finally picked up Charles, Magnus, Logan, Azazel, Hank, Victor, and the rest of the X-Men came down the stairs.

"Hello?" Harry asked as he put the phone on speaker.

"You called." There was happy insane laughter, "Your auntie said you wouldn't, but I knew you wouldn't let your Mummy worry for long."

"What do you plan to do?" Harry asked.

"You can make this easy, and meet me at your aunt's, tell your little friends to stay away and I might just let you live, for a little while at least, afterall I need you to die so Tom will be pleased with me." Bellatrix explained.

"Tom wouldn't reward you for killing me," Harry said, "He wanted to kill me himself remember, never quite managed."

"Shut up!" Tha woman screached, "I will kill you, Count on it, Po..." Harry hung up quickly before she could finish.

Harry looked at Charles, "I know where she is."

"We'll take care of it, just tell us where." Magnus said.

"No." Harry said simply, "She killed Moony, she killed Tonks, she...she carved /his/ name onto my back, the only person who gets to handle her is me, you all are going to stay here like she wants." At the base of his spine, just barely keeping the blade light enough to prevent it from severing his spine, but instead of Tom Riddle she had carved Voldemort, so his back bore the words 'Flight of Death' in French, it was rather fitting when Harry actively thought about it.

All the mutants protested.

Harry sighed, "You guys have no idea and for that I am glad, Bellatrix has a fetish for causing pain, and she can make someone lose their mind in ten minutes, I know, she's done it before. She wants me dead because Tom did, thought I would be able to end his life or some such nonesense." Not really nonsense but that was beside the point. "Listen either way I am going alone, you can know when or you can find out hours after I'm gone."

"What makes you think you can do it, you're just a human." Jean snapped.

Harry glared at the girl, "You are arrogant, and that will be your fall, just because I'm not like you doesn't mean I am weak, just because I have issues doesn't mean I am incapable, I assure you that if I wanted to I could tear your mind apart and then mend it back in a way I like it, and the best part?" Harry asked getting in the woman's space, "I don't need a mutation to do it, just you, your boyfriend, and a knife." Harry finished, "And you know the irony? Every thing I know, I learned from Tom."

"Tom?" Charles asked.

Harry ignored the question, "I'm leaving in an hour, if anyone follows me consider my life forfited." And Harry turned and walked up to his room.

Harry looked at himself in the mirror, he looked just like he had during the war, just after the war, gone were the blues and greens that he had begun to favor as he spent more time at the mansion and replacing them was an onsomble of black, tight black pants that fitted his legs perfectly, black socks that tucked under them, his tight black turtle neck tucked into his pants and the neck of it was drawn up over his mouth and nose, on his hands were neatly fitting fingerless gloves, and on his feet he wore simple black tennis shoes, his hair, which had grown long, was pulled into two low starting pony tails, framing his face and making it difficult to see his face.

Harry sighed as he turned away, why couldn't she just leave him alone? He was finally happy. Harry walked down the stairs to the main entrence where he waited for the others to see him off.

Charles arrived first, "How are you going to get there?" He asked as the others joined them.

"Azazel, would you be willing to take me to the park?"

Azazel nodded instantly, reaching out to Harry and taking his hand.

"What are you going to do to her, Kit?" Rogue asked.

Harry looked at the girl, she knew nothing of war, nothing of death. "I'm going to make sure she can never hurt my family again." was what Harry told her before he and Azazel vanished.

When they arrived Harry pulled away from Azazel, "Don't follow me." Harry ordered slipping into the shadows that were cast by the street lamps.

Harry slipped easily through the window of the room that he had slept in during his brief stay with the Dursleys, his feet made no noise as he walked down the hall to the living room where Bellatrix was dancing amongst the remains of his blood family. Harry swallowed slightly.

Bellatrix stopped twirling suddenly, and she grinned, "Why don't you come out little baby, our guests have been waiting for you to arrive." Bellatrix said flicking her wand to drop the dissillusionment charm that she had been using to hide Charles, Magnus, Logan, Victor, Hank, and Azazel tied to chairs.

Harry stepped out instantly, "Let them go, Bella."

"No, I don't think I will, I do so enjoy their screams," She pointed her wand at Charles, "Crucio." She said simply and Harry watched Charles bend and scream for only a second before he turned to Bellatrix.

"Stop," Harry said, "Him going insane means nothing to me."

Bellatrix turned to him, ending the curse.

"You wanted me," Harry dropped the knife he had been carrying, "I'm here, end me, Bella, Like Tom wants." Harry said walking closer to her, stepping infront of the mutants.

Bellatrix grinned, "You are lying, but no matter, I can deal with you first. Crucio Maximus." She shouted, shrieking with pleasure when the curse connected with Harry and he fell down as his muscles contorted in pain, but her glee died in her throat once she realized the Harry wasn't screaming.

She ended the curse and Harry panted for a moment. "Best you got, Bella?" He asked.

"I will make you scream."

"Good luck, Tom never managed, and his Crucio was ten times worse than that."

Bellatrix screached in rage and began to torture Harry. Hours later Bellatrix left them, to do what Harry had no clue, but she had made a mistake in leaving Harry untied, even though most of his fingers were broken, and his right leg in three places, and he was sure he had a concussion from Bellatrix throwing him into a wall at one point, yet even with all his injuries Harry heaved himself up and stumbled over to Charles and the others.

Charles was sobbing as he pulled Harry into a tight hug, mindful of the other's injuries. "Why didn't you just do what she wanted?"

Harry drew away from the elder man, "Why, its not like she would have stopped, that's not the way she works."

"What did you plan to do?" Magnus asked as Charles untied him and the others.

"I can't do what I planned, you guys are here, I told you if you came my life was forfit, I didn't lie." Harry said simply.

"But..." Magnus began.

"You really don't understand, she is tearing my body apart from the inside out when she throws Crucio at me, the more she breakes my bones the worse my body gets when she uses it, the only reason I'm not coughing up blood yet is because she hasn't broken any ribs." Harry explained.

"A fact soon remidied, my wittle one." Bellatrix said as she returned, she flicked her wand once and sent Harry flying into the wall behind him.

Harry gasped as one of his ribs cracked, and he barely registered Bellatrix's gleeful cackling as she rebond the mutants.

"Don't even think about using your tainted gifts, you will find yourselves unable to do anything," Bellatrix smiled as she approched Harry's form as he rolled onto his back, trying to breath.

Bellatrix grinned as she placed her boot on Harry's chest and pressed down, "Oh how the mighty have fallen," She muttered as a snap sounded throughout the room, she pressed even harder when all Harry did was grit his teeth.

Harry swallowed as her foot lifted up and she knelt next to him. "I always wondered..." Harry began, "if you...joined because...you liked...killing people...or if it was...because you...loved him." Harry looked into Bellatrix's insane blue eyes, "Wondered...why he just didn't...tell you..."

Bellatrix's eyes widened. "Tell me what?" She asked desprately as Harry's eyes closed for a long minute.

She shook him harshly and Harry's eyes opened, "That...he...loved...you...too." Harry gasped as blood bubbled over his lips. "Called...you...his..." Harry paused to swallow the blood that was filling his mouth. "Lady...of...Darkness,...if...only...in...his...mi nd..." Harry's eyes drifted closed again and even when Bellatrix shook him they didn't open.

Erik watched as Bellatrix pulled Kit into her lap and begen rocking Kit like a baby while she began to sob.

She looked up at Erik when he knelt before her to take Kit away from her, whatever she had used to bind them no longer being affective. "Kill me, please, I want to be with Tom." She said quietly.

Kit's eyes struggled to open, and he smiled slightly as he looked up at the woman, "I can manage that." He whispered, forcing himself to pull away from her so he was no longer being held by her, he sat up on his knees and took her face in his hands, his eyes closed yet again and when they opened they were no longer the beautiful green that Erik loved, instead they were the same red that covered Harry's lips.

Bellatrix smiled, "Tom." She whispered, her hand caressing Kit's messed hair. "It's you."

The voice that came out Kit's mouth was not his and Erik shivered at the cold voice exiting Kit's mouth. "My Princess," The voice said, "I have waited for you to find me, we do not have long, the child allowed me to be the one to grant this, and we will leave this plane of existance."

"How, My Lord, the child..." Bellatrix began.

"Has secrets of his own," The voice interrupted, brushing a lock of the crazy lady's hair behind her ear, "One kiss and everything will be right," The voice turned Kit's head to look at Erik, "You will take care of him, he is more broken than he told you, trust is hard for him to give, it has been betrayed too much, he is a child in body but an adult in experience, the tortures he survived rival yours. Take care of him." The voice then turned Kit's head back to the woman and drew her in for a gentle kiss and as they continued it their bodies slumped and fell to the side breaking apart as they did so.

Kit groaned as his body protested and Erik snapped into action, "Azazel, Logan, Hank, let's go, we'll come back." He said as he lifted Kit carfully.

Charles nodded, "I've already told Rogue to meet you in the infirmary."

And they were gone.

When Harry woke he knew that Bellatrix was dead in the same way that he knew the lingering peice of Tom was no longer with him, their gift, denied much like Charles' and Magnus', had shone so brightly for that one brief instant and dispite everything Harry was glad to have witnessed it, just like he had been glad to bring Charles and Magnus back to eachother.

Harry opened his eyes when he heard Hank's gruff voice begin talking to him, explaining what he was doing, and Harry smiled at the blue man's back. Harry pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Hey..." Harry broke off into a cough as Hank jumped and turned, staring at Harry before getting him a glass of water which he sipped slowly.

"Kit, you're okay!" Magnus shouted as he barged into what was obviously Harry's ordinary room

"Yeah." Harry croaked.

"You scared us, do you want to tell us what happened?" Charles asked, still using his wheel chair.

Harry sighed, "You witnessed a soulmate bond gone wrong, so very wrong, Tom was born too early, and Bella too late, and that shaped them, both incomplete and alone," Harry took a drink of his water, "Tom searched, searched for so long and he fell into the darkness that claimed it could help him, instead it stole his body and locked away his mind, he went mad." again Harry reached for his water, "Bella was alone, perfect older sister and the disgraced middle child, she was pushed to the side and she knew that there was someone for her, someone that would match her perfectly, only her parents scoffed at her /delusions/ they called them and wed her to another man," Harry had to take another drink. "she lost her mind then, thinking that her soulmate wouldn't want her then, and when her husband first dragged her to Tom's side she knew what they were to one another, only when she propositioned him he turned her down, and her mind fractured into a thousand pieces and nothing could fix that, nothing." Harry ended.

"So, what did we see?" Hank asked.

Harry looked at the man, "When Tom and I faced eachother back home, something went wrong, or right depending, when he died a bit of his soul stayed, waiting for Bella's death, it asked if I would host it, if you will. So, I did, and we waited, I knew eventually she would find us, Tom didn't believe so, not for a long time, and then they were together." Harry swallowed, "Like I said soulmates always share some sort of bond, good or bad, but when they are lovers they can change the world." Harry said softly.

Erik and Charles sat in the kitchen talking quietly. Others would enter get something to eat and leave quickly. Charles sat in his wheel-chair, all of them deciding to wait until Kit was better to reveal that Charles could walk.

Kit opened the door and stepped into the kitchen, leaning heavily on the doorframe and counter.

"Kit, does Hank know that you're up?" Charles asked even though he knew the answer.

"I got bored in bed, but no he doesn't, please don't tell him, it's taken me a week to figure out when he comes to check up on me, the first two times he literaly carried me back to my room over his shoulder." Kit made a face, wrinkling his nose, "Do you know how embarassing that is?" Kit asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down next to Erik.

"Are you cleared for coffee?" Erik asked.

Kit glared at the man, "Take my coffee and you won't be able to be top anymore." Kit said simply taking a drink as Erik froze and Charles giggled.

"You can't drink that, doctor's orders." Logan said taking the drink from Kit, and drinking it himself.

Kit whined as he watched Logan drink his coffee.

"I should have realized that you were being too good this past week." Hank said entering the kitchen, pressing a kiss to Kit's hair as he passed the boy.

Kit smiled sheepishly,"So, what's going on with everything?"

"We've been waiting for you to be better to tell the others about Charles, also you really shouldn't be up and about." Hank said.

"Why?" Kit asked curously.

"Because I haven't gotten around to teaching Rogue and Logan about how to heal damaged muscles, so they haven't healed them yet, they did fix your broken bones though, your idea came in really handy." Hank explained.

"Thank you." Kit whispered.

"Yeah, Yeah." Logan muttered. "Don't you ever scare us like that again, Kit, we almost lost you several times."

"I had to make Erik sleep for them to work on you, he was panicing." Charles said.

"Kit! You're awake!" Rogue shouted as she threw herself at him.

Kit smiled, "I'm sorry if I worried you guys, but I feel so much better now, Bella really isn't as skilled as Tom was."

Rogue pulled back with tears in her eyes, "I'm glad I never got you when Tom was alive then, because that...what that lady did to you was horrible enough for me."

Kit hugged Rogue tightly and pulled the girl to sit in his lap, "So, how long was I recovering for?" He asked.

"You missed New Year's eve, and New Year's day, so over a week." Hank explained.

Kit nodded.

Remy entered Harry's room silently, knowing the boy was confined to bed, it had been Sabretooth that had carried the boy back to bed, much to several student's amusement.

"Kit?" Remy asked, "Gambit brough' playin' cards, care fo' a game?"

Harry grinned, "You can't imagine how glad I am to see you. Come sit." Harry pointed to the edge of his bed. "You wouldn't believe how bored I am , Magnus only comes by for our games and to check up on me, Charles drops in to catch up on sleep, because Magnus is keeping him up, Logan, Victor, and Azazel only come in to annoy me or get away from the kids, and don't get me started on how much Hank is annoying me."

Remmy smiled and dealt out the cards. "Sounds like ya be lonely."

"Ug, they never stay long, so what are we playing, and who are you hiding from?"

"Go Fish, and Rogue."

"Alright, Remy, why are you hiding from Rogue, she's not that bad, once you get past her attitude." Harry told him.

"Don' wanna stay long, no' ma type o' hang ou'." Remy muttered looking away from the boy.

"Don't want to break her heart or tell her that your interests lie elsewhere?" Harry asked making Remy's head jerk up.

"Both."

"Ah..."

"Ya're very perceptive, fo' a someone who don' gotta mutation tuh help." Remy pointed out.

Harry grinned, "Like your empathy? Before I had to rely on knowing people's intentions, if I didn't I got hurt."

"Ah..." Remy nodded, "Tha' why ya don' trust pe'ple?"

"But of course." Harry returned.

"Then why did ya fall 'sleep on Gambit the othe' day?"

Harry frowned, "I don't know, I felt safe, like you wouldn't let any thing hurt me if you could help it, I felt safe..." Harry said pathetically.

Remy looked at the boy and scooted up to lay beside the younger man, pulling him down to lay down, cards forgotten. "Gambit'll keep ya safe, sleep, mon petit ange. Sleep." Remy whispered curling around the boy as he fell asleep.

"Thank you, Remy." Harry murmured.

When Erik went to check on Kit later that day he found himself smiling, much to the shock of several students who were still scared of the older man. There on Kit's bed was Kit tucked under the covers sleeping peacefully, curled around him above the covers was one Remy LeBeau. Cards scattered across the bedcovers and the floor, forgotten.

Make no mistake, though, when they woke he was definately threatening the man, but there was no way he was going to interrupt Kit's sleep, he had learned that the hard way, thank you very much. Erik flicked the lamp off, closed the door and locked it from the outside, insureing that no one would desturb the pair of sleepers.

Erik then returned to Charles where he waited in the living room.

"Is Kit coming down?" He asked as Erik sat across from him so they could begin their chess game.

"No."

"Hmmm, I would have thought that he would jump at the chance to get out of bed." Charles murmured as he made the first move.

"Kit was asleep." Erik mentioned quietly as Rogue, Bobby, Pyro and several other mutants came down to watch the two play.

"Oh that's good." Charles said, interruptiing Erik.

"With LeBeau." Erik finished, offhandedly.

"AND YOU LEFT THEM UP THERE, ALONE!" Charles shouted.

"Calm down, Kit would never break our trust like that." Erik returned.

"So sure of that?" Kit's voice interrupted them. "Afterall I did drink your liquor."

Both men turned to the door to stare at the young man whose hand was curled lightly in Remy's.

"You were asleep." Erik pointed out slowly.

"Yep, until you opened the door ten minute ago." Kit muttered manuvering Remy to sit next to Erik and then sitting on the still sleepy man's lap, curling into his chest as he looked at the chessboard.

"Ah, after Charles and I finish our game would you care to play?" Erk asked.

"Sure, it's been awhile, I'm sure you're out of practice." Kit smiled at the older man.

"Yes, well, you...who ever taught you how to play, I may have to meet him." Erik scowled slightly.

"Yeah, good luck with that, he won't even talk to me anymore." Kit forced a smile, "He was my best friend back home, guess I don't have that great of judgment on friends, all the ones that were true friends died in one of the terrist attacks against my school before my aunt decided to move here." Kit explained.

The group of people were silent for a moment, "Well, at least you have us." Rogue said, "Even if you did steal the man I had a crush on." She grinned.

Kit crinkled his nose as he smiled at her, "Not my fault you come on way too strong."

"Hey!" Rogue shouted glareing at Kit.

Kit rolled his eyes and turned to Charles, "So, when are you going to tell them?"

Charles frowned at Kit and raised an eyebrow, which Kit copied. "We were waiting for you, Kit, it was, afterall, your idea."

"Tell us, you've got us wondering now." Bobby said as Pyro rolled his eyes.

"Check mate, Charles." Erik said.

Kit grinned, "My turn, up, up, Charles." Kit said bouncing off of Remy's lap and over to Charles' chair.

One of the mutants opened their mouth to say something but snapped it shut as Kit helped the professor stand and walk over to sit next to Erik before stealing the chair that he had just been sitting in.

"I think it is my turn to go first." Kit began, telling Erik his first move.

Erik laughed, "You have to move the pieces yourself, Kit, this is Charles' set."

"Oh, well, fine." And so Kit did, and in half the time it usually took beat Erik at the game.

"To think you were good before." Charles said slightly in awe.

Kit smiled sheepishly, "Well, telling Magnus my move gives him time to think of a counter as he moves it to the proper place."

"Ha! You were letting me cheat!" Erik shouted, "I knew it."

Kit raised an eyebrow, "And yet you still never managed to beat me Magnus."

"Erik, you let Kit allow you to cheat?" Charles asked afronted.

"How did I become the bad guy here? He let me do it." Erik said pointing at Kit.

"You were the adult Erik." Charles said quietly.

"Yes, Magnus, you were the adult." Kit mimicked.

"Is that what you meant when you said you'd lied to Magneto?" Pyro asked curiously.

Kit winced as Erik turned to him, "You lied to me?" He asked.

"More of an omission, really." Kit murmured, casting a glare at Pyro.

"Why? Didn't you trust me?" Erik asked quietly.

"I know you too well to trust you, Magnus, far too well." Kit looked at Erik with too green eyes. "You are much too like what Tom became for me to trust you," Kit looked at Erik imploringly, "He was in my head for so long, some days, the really bad ones, I did not know where he began and I ended, and when we were one..." Kit paused, "I wanted so badly to unamake the world, to kill, to destroy, to prove to Humans, that we were the better ones, that they should bow down before us in fear and...then she would pull me back, remind me that there was good left in their world." Kit ended.

"Who? Perhaps we could find her." Charles said, latching on to the last bit.

Kit smiled sadly, "I could tell you where she is buried." Kit said quietly.

"Oh." Charles exclaimed softly.

"You would have liked her, Charles, I doubt even you would have been able to make sense of her thoughts." Kit closed his eyes, remembering, "She was like the moon she was named for, so bright in darkness, but I forget which language she was so named in." Kit opened his eyes, "Her face is blank but her eyes like the sky, she is but flashes, images, like a puzzle picture that you don't have all the pieces to... I... I think that they took the memories when they cast me away, they thought I would not remember anything, but they didn't know that I had Tom, he pulled memories up and showed me, he wanted me to finish what he began, but I was no tool to darkness and I pulled him back to sanity." Kit finished quietly.

"'Cast you away'?" Erik frowned, "What do you mean 'cast you away'?"

Kit smiled but didn't answer, instead he stood and left the room, leaving everyone curious.

Erik sighed, "We won't find out then." He said softly, making Charles look at him curiously.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

Erik smiled softly, "Kit won't tell us."

"How do you know that?" Pyro sneered.

Erik glanced at the child, "Because I know Kit, it took me five days to get him to tell me plainly that he wasn't a mutant, if he doesn't want you to know something, you won't, like his name, do you really think Charles hasn't searched for his name, for any mention of it, he hasn't found it and he won't because Kit may not be a mutant but he is pretty good at keeping us in the dark. And don't any of you bother him about it."

Harry leaned his head against the window in his room, his eyes on the moon, he had lied slightly to Magnus, he remembered what her name was, always would, when Albus had tried to erase his memory after the wizarding world was done with him, Harry had expected it but it had been Luna that pervented his memory from being taken, she had given him her bottlecap necklace three days before the end of the actual fighting of the war, two months before her death. Harry had worn the necklace everyday since, though he kept it invisable when he was around the others, they thought him weird enough without him adding anything else.

But how could he tell Magnus and the others about his little sister, the crazy girl who had stuck by him through all of his failings, the one who had kept him going and the only reason he was still trying to live.

Harry turned to the door as it opened, and smiled as Charles walked in.

"Something I can help you with, Charles?" Harry asked.

"Everyone keeps asking me how I can walk again, I decided to let Erik and Hank hold an assembly to explain, would you like to go?" Charles asked as he sat at the window seat next to Harry. "The moon is very lovely tonight, it always is bright when it's full."

"It's also when werewolves come out." Harry muttered.

"Yes, it is." Charles looked at Harry who stared back.

"People usually call me crazy when I say things like that, or try to tell me they aren't real." Harry said frankly.

"I have no reason to believe that you are lying."

"That so? You are a fool, Charles, not everyone is pure of heart, not everyone is like you."

"You think I am pure of heart?" Charles asked in surprise.

"I know you are," Harry turned away, "People like you are far and few between."

"Kit, is there something you want to talk about?" Charles questioned softly.

"No...Yes... Maybe... I don't know, everything is different, I actually like being here and I don't want you to ask me to leave, I really don't want to go, but eventually I will have to." Harry murmured quietly.

Charles pulled Harry into his arms, "You don't have to leave, never, if you want to stay, you will always be welcome here, I promise."

"And what if forever is real?" Harry asked softly.

"What do you mean, Kit?"

Harry pulled away from Charles and stood up, he pulled his shirt up just enough to show the words carved on his back, "It means 'flight of death'. It's pretty accurate now that I think about it," Harry dropped his shirt and turned back to watch Charles, "I should have died, Bella used a dirty knife to carve the words, they got infected and three days later I couldn't breath, then I stopped, breathing, I mean. I woke up ten days later in a really shallow grave, if it hadn't been I might have died again before I dug myself out."

Harry watched Charles' eyes widen and his hand press to his mouth.

"For a while I searched for ways to die, went out of my way for some, but... they never took, and I didn't age either. It's like time stopped, but only for me. I didn't want to get close to anyone, but then I met Magnus, and he reminded me of myself, so I played chess with him and we talked, and now I get to watch him age and eventually die."

"Oh, Kit." Charles said quietly, "Come here, sweetie," Charles opened his arms and Harry crawled into them, "Its okay."

"I don't want to watch him die, but I don't want to leave." Harry sobbed as Charles rocked him.

When Harry woke the next day he noticed immediately that he wasn't in his bed, and neither was he alone, he looked up at Charles' peaceful face and smiled slightly before carfully extracting himself from the elder man's grip, pressing soothing mental pet to Charles' mind to keep him asleep. Then Harry lifted the man up and tucked him into the bed, soothing aches with magic that would otherwise be painful when Charles woke.

Harry smiled gently at the man before slipping down the hall to the bathroom, where he showered and pulled on his shorts and pants before the door burst open revealing three giggling teenagers.

Harry raised an eyebrow as they stared at him, "Problem?" He asked.

One of the girls, Harry didn't know her name, shook her head and Harry sighed, grabbed his shirt and exited the bathroom, heading down staires.

He leaned against one of the walls once he was on the ground level, the shirt on the floor next to him while his knees were drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around him, after a moment he let his legs stretch out and his arms fall to his lap, as his head rested against the wall, it was bound to happen sometime, them finding out about his scars, Harry was surprised that his secret had lasted this long.

"Kit?" Charles voice called.

Harry blew a lock of hair from his eyes and stood up, picking up his shirt but not bothering to pull it on as he walked towards the voice.

"Yeah, Charles?" Harry asked leaning on the doorframe.

"You left me...in...your..." Charles trailed off as he looked at Harry. "What happened to you?" He asked horrified.

Harry shrugged and pulled on his shirt, "I fought in a war, Charles, that's what happened to me."

"Oh."

Harry smiled at Charles, "I put you in the bed when I woke up, better for you back, and your old man muscles."

"So, what do you want for breakfast?" Charles asked, changing the subject.

Harry shrugged, "You won't tell Magnus will you?" Harry asked as he helped the older man begin making breakfast.

"No, it's not my secret to tell." Charles smiled at the young man. "Though, Erik did mention wanting to adopt you legally."

Harry bit his lip, "I would like that, but..."

Charles lost his smile and nodded, "Almost too old?"

"Yeah." Harry sighed, "But the thought is apriciated, more than you could imagine."

Charles smiled at the young man, "So, how old are you?"

Harry grinned and didn't stop when Erik entered the kitchen, "Seventeen and seven months." *The months are years since I turned seventeen.* Harry sent to Charles.

"Oh, when do you turn eighteen?" Erik asked.

"In July, I really don't like my birthday though, not many good memories." Harry returned as he set the food on the table, turning back to Charles in time to catch him as his legs wobbled and he stumbled, "Time for you to sit down and take a rest, you need to slowly build up to full days of standing and walking, because the muscles in your legs are not used to holding up your full weight."

Charles smiled at Kit, wondering once again how the child knew that, even if he was older than he looked he was still a child, not much younger than Jean or Scott, or even older than Bobby, or Pyro, or Rogue.

"Don't Charles." Kit's voice interrupted his thoughts, "Don't bother about it, it's over, it's done, I'm not going anywhere if I can stay here. I'm safe here."

Charles looked at the child, this child who would, according to him live passed them all, from Erik and himself, to the youngest child in his halls, and most likely Logan and Sabretooth as well. Charles swallowed back his tears and failed to keep them from overflowing.

Kit smiled sadly, "It just hit you didn't it?" He asked.

Charles nodded jerkily as Kit looked up as Logan, Sabretooth, Hank, and Azazel entered the room. Kit set a hand on Charles' arm.

"Don't think about what will happen after, I try not to, it hurts, hurts alot to think about what life will be like." Kit whispered quietly.

Charles tugged the boy into his lap and held the child close as if he would disappear if he let go and Kit let him, wrapping his arms around his neck and resting his cheek on Charles' head.

*I died three times before I let Tom kiss Bella.* Kit's voice whispered over his thoughts, *I was worried that one of the Ferals would notice it and freak out. That's not counting all the times I died in between leaving there and Rogue and Logan fixing me.*

*Does it hurt?*

*Yes and No, the process of sending me back over shadows the pain of dying, there is a time in between, where Death and I talk about maybe keeping me, that nothing hurts, and then he says no and the pain of Death returns. I might be his Master and Death can still touch my soul, he just cannot keep it.*

"Charles, if you hold Kit any tighter he won't be able to breath." Erik interrupted.

Charles immediately loosened his grip and glared at the child on his lap who merely raised an eyebrow. *There are worse ways to die than being hugged to death.*

"You two are having secret conversations now?" Erik asked.

Kit grinned as he lept off of Charles' lap, "Magnus, darling, you know that Charles and I can't have a huge secret especially because of my little Phobia, which only allows for short conversations. Don't worry, Magnus, I'll always be a daddy's boy."

"I still can't believe that I'm the mother." Charles scowled.

Kit pouted, "You don't want to be my Mummy Charles?" He asked.

Harry winked at Magnus to let him know that he was only teasing Charles. Magnus simply rolled his eyes as Charles assured Harry that he was perfectly fine with being his mum. Harry giggled and squirmed away from Charles' hold.

"What had you planned on doing for today, Kit?" Magnus asked.

"Nothing, why?" Harry asked looking at his friend.

"Would you like to play chess in the park, the children have survival training with Logan, Sabretooth, Azazel, and Hank." Magnus explained.

"You aren't going to help?" Charles asked.

Magnus opened his mouth a few times, "Damn it."

Harry laughed as Magnus pouted. "Magnus, you and I get to be evil."

Magnus looked at Harry in confusion before he reveiled his teeth in a sharklike grin, "Oh, yes, this should be fun."

Every student in the school shivered and wondered if any of them would live through their survival training.

Kit skipped happily back to the mansion, the students following the human warily, they had all learned a valuable lesson in the last week, never underestimate Kit, alone or otherwise. Kit had managed to keep out of the Feral's scent range, had avoided Jean's mind scans, and had tied Magneto up and vanished from his presence for much of the week. What had really done it for them, though, was the fact that they had all gotten lost in the Professor's woods and Kit had been sent by the Professor to fetch them, and he was skipping as though he hadn't a care in the world.

All of the children had learned to fear the Professor's woods, if only because sometimes children would get lost within them and never be found, or if they were they would be found in peices. But Kit was skipping happily, and he seemed quite at home in the woods, not scared at all. Then again all of the students thought Kit was an odd Duck, strange and dangerous, as he had shown them all when he had managed to take out all of the Ferals before kidnapping the Three year old mutant that they were meant to be protecting, with nary a scratch.

Charles watched Kit leave the woods and wondered if he should have him teach the survival class before dismissing the thought, Kit was a kinder soul than he ought to be and nothing should ever change that. His childhood had been stolen from him, it was the least they could do, giving him the chance to be the child he had been forced to grow out of.

Harry looked up at the window to Charles' office, seeing the man watching him made him smile sadly. He was the Master Of Death, and that didn't come without certian knowledge. Harry could feel when death approached someone, knew when someone was about to die... and Charles was dying. Perhaps he didn't know it or was hiding it from Magnus, but Harry knew it wouldn't be long before the man left the world and his students to mourn him, and, unless he missed his guess, Magnus would follow not long after.

"Kit?" Magnus asked.

"Magnus, I have to tell you something." Harry turned to the man, eyes sad.

"What?"

Harry looked back up to the window.

"I lied." Kit whispered.

"Excuse me?" Erik returned shocked.

Kit turned to stare at him with blank eyes as the students froze at the anger that had filled his voice.

"I lied. I'm not a human... I..." Kit trainled off, and swallowed noisly, "Perhaps it would be best to show you."

Erik watched Kit close his eyes before he opened them and student and adult alike watched as fire whirled around Kit briefly before dousing itself with water, "That is not all I can do either, I can do almost everything a mutant can, and like mutants I am not alone in this Bella was one too, as was Tom. I couldn't tell you before."

"So you lied to me, to us, to Charles?" Erik asked, feeling betrayed.

"I couldn't tell you. You don't understand, can't understand." Kit defended.

"Try me!" Erik growled as Charles joined them.

Kit flinched back, and pulled out one of the knives he kept on him and slid it into his heart before Erik could protest and dragged it out bloody and dripping, letting it fall to the ground as the wound knitted itself back up.

"I get to watch you and everyone else here grow up, grow old, and die, I get to watch you die and I know that I will never be granted that rest, and I know other things too, ask Charles why he's been avoiding you and Jean."

Erik turned to Charles, who was staring at Kit in horror.

"He's dying, from what I haven't a clue, but I can tell you it will be soon, and you follow after. Every breath taken brings Death closer, if I consintrate enough I can tell you what day and what time you will leave this world. That is why I lied." Kit snapped angrily, "There was a reason I was in New York, at the park. After that world was done with me, after I became a murderer for them, after they found out that I couldn't die, they threw me away, like garbage, like I was a monster. I only did what they wanted me to, I am only what they made me, an immortal murdering monster."

Kit glared at Erik. "I had every reason to lie, I am twenty four years old, and I don't look a day over seventeen. When people I thought were my friends found out that I couldn't die they turned on me, you have no idea what its like to have someone literally stab you in the back, hoping that you won't live, or have them tear your gifts from your body and return you to the family that made you feel worthless and beat you every day for the first sixteen years you spent with them. You have no clue..."

Kit paused as he glanced through Erik's surface thoughts, before looking away from the other, "Then again, perhaps you do... the difference is, Erik, it was strangers that did it to you, not the woman you thought of as your mother, not Charles, not Mystique, not Azazal, not Victor, the people who hurt you were nameless and faceless, you did not know what their favorite sports team was, you didn't get a hand made sweater every year for Christmas, didn't know what their most read book was, how they got their scars, or think that they would always take care of you. Your monsters were just that, monsters, mine were Family that disowned me and broke me, shattered me, because what's the point of life if no one is there to share it with you?"

Kit looked at Erik with tears spilling down his cheeks and his hands trembling, "The only difference is, I Can't Die. I can't end it, I can't and that's all I wanted to do."

Kit wasn't the only one that was crying either, Jean was sobbing into Scott's chest, Charles' cheeks were tear streaked as well, and some of the younger students were outright sobbing too.

"Kit..." Charles began.

"But then I met you, you and your stories about the Golden King and the Silver King, and I knew it was about you, and for a moment it was like looking at Tom, but you had a chance and threw it away, so I thought 'I'll get them back together and then I'll leave.' Only you didn't let me, you dragged me home with you and gave me a Family again, and it was nice... having a Family, it made life worth living for a little while." Kit forced a smile, "But all good things must come to an end right?"

Harry rubbed his hands against the jeans that Charles had bought him at one point, "I supose that this is goodbye, then." Harry said quietly, looking away from his friend and vanishing.

Harry watched silently as the group carefully guided the second coffin into the grave, hidden away by his Cloak and sitting atop one of the iron bars that surrounded the school. Like all the students before he had come to pay his respects to the two who had granted the Mutants a home and a family. He felt a ghost of a smile flit across his face as an aging blonde stepped forward and spoke of the two men who had bailed him out of prison and taught him some control over his Mutation. The red-head reminised about a crazy metal-bender who had pushed him off of the satalite, but in doing so had given him wings to fly.

It was strange to hear the stories that Magnus had told from the view of the children, strange that they could still remember him fondly, at least that was what some of the students thought, even though they had fought against him until recently.

"It doesn't get easier for them does it?" Harry asked the Shadowed Man next to him.

"For them, this is only the beginning, a Beginning that would heve been a hundred years in the making had you not interfeared."

"What do you mean?"

"They would have taken that long to unite like this without Charles and Erik, they were the split and it was them who had to fix it, were it not for you they would have died without doing so. 'Accidental child that brought them together again', indeed." Death murmured.

Harry nodded as it began raining, each person taking a moment to throw a fistful of dirt over the coffins before heading inside.

Harry waited until the last person had started to leave before he hopped down from his perch, the Cloak hood falling from his head as he landed lightly on the soaked ground. He walked slowly to the mounds of dirt and to the stone Markers.

"What do you call a child that has thrice been orphaned?" Harry asked Death.

Death placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, becoming visible, "A lucky child."

Harry looked at the naked graves, "Perhaps."

Harry's hand ghosted over the stone Markers before resting a moment on the dirt, as he rose grass and flowers bloomed over them.

"Now why did you do that?" Death asked as he turned to the group of people running towards them.

Harry looked at Death, "Because they made something beautiful, and they deserve something beautiful."

Death smiled beneath his hood, his skeletal hands resting on Harry's shoulders, "They had something beautiful, Master, they had a family and eachother, they had love too, and they had you."

Harry felt a smile curl at his lips, "They can't have something that never existed, and Kit wasn't real." Harry whispered as he vanished yet again.

"Kit was more real than you like to admit." Death murmured and vanished himself leaving the group of Mutants standing alone and drenched in the rain.

Harry smiled at the little Mutant, one of his, much like Rogue had been one of Death's, this little one, the child of Logan and Rogue, could see how people could die, it had been an accident but given the Mutations of her parents it had been likely to happen anyway, he was here to make sure the little angel didn't go mad.

~'Do you know that you can't die?' she had asked when he had first come to her.

Harry had smiled and nodded, 'Yes, I'm here to help you learn to control your gift.'

'Like Mister Erik and Mister Charles used to do?' she had asked.

'Yes, like Mum and Dad used to do.'~

She hadn't yet realized who exactly he was and when she did he would leave, checking in every now and again, like he did with all of his Specials, and if he favored Telepaths and the few Metal-Benders that popped up then that was his own business, but he often appeared at the School, he would spend a day playing with the children or he spent the day taking over a class, sometimes one of the few classes that didn't have a permanant teacher but a few times he had stolen a class from Logan or Mystique, and once even Jean. It took them a while to realize but when they did he was always long gone.

It may take him a while they had realized but he would always return, but it had been Victor that had carved his name into his door and Bobby, Pyro, and Rogue that had told new arrivals that the room was taken. Some times Harry would just come home to sit and he would watch the children play before leaving, helping the Mutants gain rights in his own way, the Master of Death had the rights to take lives just as Death did and if a few politions died that stood in the way of certain bills well no one could blame the Mutants because it wasn't a Mutant that took their lives, it was Death and Death comes to all, Mutant, Wizard, and Human alike.

Right, so I'm well aware that this is probaly not my best work, but after working on it for almost a year I just want it to be over, so it is over and done, I hope at leat a few of you like it and enjoy it. 


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